Danger : Journey
by RayosX
Summary: After Frankie sets out to travel with Pokemon and a group of strangers, she begins to realize this wasn't the path set for her. The person she least expects could change her views, and even her standards.


_This is my first ever fanfiction. It's based greatly around the Pokémon games, with little to no regard to the show. I hope you enjoy. :)_

Cherrygrove city has always been much the same. The traffic of trainers that rushes through daily are in their majority amateurs, eager to obtain their first badge in Violet City, northwest of Cherrygrove. To these trainers, this city is just a 15-minute stop, only handy because of it's Pokémon Center. They never take the time to appreciate the cloudy-yet-sunny warm weather, nor the a-little-less-than-clean seashore here in Cherrygrove like the residents did.

In the small hick city of Cherrygrove is where I was brought up. My parents had made the wise decision of moving here a month after my birth, to shield me from "big-city life".A smaller city like this one offered more tranquility for them too, much needed for the ages they were now headed to. Ever since my family relocated here, 17 years ago, I have grown up to everybody and their Meowth knowing every personal bit about me. Even so, I wouldn't have liked it any other way. Growing up as if everyone was a part of my extended family has made me happy for the small portion of life I have experienced, but now I'm seeking something more.

My heart was saying it craved something more...

While my brain twisted through these notions, making me less aware of my surroundings, I bumped into a boy who looked around my age. He had very light blonde hair in a modern, boyish cut, brushed diligently to resemble a helmet on his head. After the apologies and short introductions, he proceeded to tell me about how he and his group of friends had- I couldn't believe it myself- actually arranged to stay a night here in Cherrygrove, and would set out for New Bark Town tomorrow morning, to begin their own journey with Pokémon. The boy extended his invitation to me, and asked me to confirm if I were coming or not later today, near the Pokémon Center.

I now found myself in my mother's navy sofa, sipping a cup of nice cold chocolate milk and deciding how to approach the subject with my very conservative mother.

Her various reactions flashed through my mind. I weighted out the pros and cons of the situation and, deciding I had nothing to loose, stood from the sofa and went to her usual working place, the kitchen. Felicia, our Meowth, followed lazily behind me.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?" Her dark red hair spilled over her face as she bent, concentrating on cutting the vegetables for this evening's dinner.

I decided to approach the subject from a nicer angle. "I met a nice guy today; we bumped into each other when I was on my way here. His name was Dakota."

"Was that when you were out buying Felicia's food at the Mart?"

"Yeah..."

She kept slicing the veggies while she talked in a sing-song voice. "Ohhhhhh~ a boy! Was he cute?"

"I guess so... but that's not the point, mom. We talked for a while and he told me he and a group of friends were staying in the city for a day." She was about to interrupt me, but guessing her thoughts I rapidly went on. "I know mom, I'm just as surprised as you are. I mean, actually staying here, it's a miracle! They rented two rooms at Bathilda's house. Tomorrow morning they go out to head to New Bark Town..."

Silence. I kept on. "He asked me to join them."

My mother's stone gray eyes finally found my own. "I thought about it, and I would like to go..."

Her eyes were set on mine still, fierce with concern. Felicia took advantage of her momentarily being distracted, jumping onto the counter and bolting off in my room's general direction with a piece of potato in her mouth, which she probably would not eat. "You want to go... on an adventure, through places you don't know… _with people you don't know_... with Pokémon?"

"That's a rough way to put it, I guess. I'll be perfectly safe."

"Honey, you're 17. You can't even feed yourself very well, how are you expecting to cope out there when you find yourself alone, without your father or me to guide and provide for you? Huh?"

"Mom, please. 12-year-olds have done this. My brother has done this." At the mention of my brother, my mother's expression stiffened, her gray eyes filling with grief.

"My point is, mom," I continued, distracting her from darker thoughts." I'm _going_ to do this, whether you approve or not. I'm not asking for permission, I'm seeking comprehension from you and dad. I want to have Pokémon who I can trust, Pokémon I raise and travel with myself!"

"But... Frankie..." My mother's eyes had caught mine again, and the grief that held them earlier on account of my brother was now there for me. I could feel the chink in her armor, her fright of loosing another member of the family. I watched the reactions of her body; the way her arms fell, defeated at the sides of her body, how her short torso inched toward me involuntarily, how her wrinkled face bagged with concern. My over-protective mother was defeated; I could tell she knew I was right. "Frankie, those boys... they could... rape you."

"Well, of course they could. They are men, they have... shafts." I finished lamely.

Her expression went from concern to irritation almost instantly. The way she shifted emotions so quickly has always impressed me, it's almost as if she were a Kecleon. "This isn't really the time for your crude humor, Miss. I'm going to have to talk to you father about this. So he can prepare some stuff for you, I mean..."

"Right. Well, this was easier than I thought it would be."

Mother sighed. "I've been waiting for something like this. I couldn't have expected a small city like Cherrygrove to hold a person such as you for long, Frankie. Somehow, though, I was hoping it would've been somewhere closer; Goldenrod, maybe, even Olivine, but you want to travel all of Johto!"

"Perhaps Kanto and Hoenn too..." I whispered, mostly to myself.

"Let's stop, before I have a heart attack, sweetie."

"Okay."

As my mother continued to prepare what would be the last dinner I would enjoy in this house, I headed upstairs to my bedroom, to prepare myself for what would be a long, treacherous journey.

Felicia sat atop my faded white dresser, eyeing me, the potato in her mouth. I petted her as I took in my room, trying to picture it, to memorize it in it's entirety before I left it behind. The room was small and square, with two small windows; one west, facing the door and the other south, just above the bed. The walls had been painted by myself a soft violet when I was 15. Undertones of baby pink still show, traces of my mother's preference for her little girl. The furniture has been the same for the past 17 years, even the bed. When I got too big for it, my father unbolted the bars of the crib and turned it into my full-sized bed. It's white paint was now chinked and covered in Growlithe and Arcanine stickers, my two favorite Pokémon. From it spilled dirty clothes, onto a small pile below the west-facing window. Arranged into a complete mess, also decorating my carpeted floor were CDs, magazines, used makeup and other hints of a teenage girl who hadn't cleaned her room in a long while.

"Mother's advice was to travel as light as possible. What do you think, Felicia?"

"Meooowth?"

"Yeah, I think she's right too..."

First, I had to find a nice pack to carry my stuff. I settled for my old gray messenger bag. It was rapidly filled with a week's worth of underwear, several tops and bottoms, some makeup and several other girly necessities. I also added more trivial stuff, like a small wallet filled with cash, pain-relief pills, my toothbrush and a small sketchbook I kept from some failed art lessons. Not knowing what else to pack, I decided to kill some time by fixing up my room, to alleviate mother's work when I was gone. When only the piles of clothes were left on the floor, I heard my mom call from downstairs, announcing dinner was ready. Both Felicia and I dashed down the stairs in a bolt.

I greeted my father with a hug, and Devstar, his Houndor, with a belly scratch. We sat and ate mother's delicious Veggie Wraps while we chattered. My father seemed okay with my choice to journey with Pokémon. He questioned me about the details of our departure, confirming I would pass again tomorrow through Cherrygrove so he could hand me some "important stuff", as he had said. When everybody had finished, I prepared Felicia and Devstar's dinner in their respective bowls and headed upstairs, to shower and change before I met with Dakota at the Pokémon Center.

He was there, leaning against the wall outside the Center casually. I'm not sure if it was what I expected, but he was alone, not accompanied by any of the friends he had mentioned. I guess I wasn't meeting my traveling crew just yet. "Oh, good, you're here! I was starting to worry you wouldn't show." In the rapidly fading light of twilight I could make out his genuine smile, as white as his skin.

I wondered how long he had waited there, unaccompanied. "Did I keep you waiting long? I'm sorry, I loose track of time easily..."

"Oh, no! I like standing around near buildings in solitude, anyway." His positive demeanor was contagious, and I found myself smiling back at him. "So, will you be coming along with us to journey, or not?" Straight and to the point.

"I will be."

"That's **GREAT**! Awesome. We're leaving around 9 in the morning, be sure to meet us right here, okay?" I nodded. "Okay, well, I guess I better go and tell everyone about your confirmation, I kind of already told them I had invited a friend to tag along."

A friend. This guy seemed very amiable, and perhaps a bit too hasty. "Okay. Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight to you, Frankie! Sleep tight! See you tomorrow morning." With a wave of his hand he disappeared around the corner, and I headed back home, to get some much needed rest.

I bid my parents good night and tucked myself in. Felicia cuddled next to me. As I petted her clean coat I couldn't keep my mind from wondering what adventures my future would hold, as it strayed into the fantastic experiences one could only have in the dream realm. My eyelids finally collapsed and I fell into deep dreamless sleep.


End file.
